I'm genuinely grateful for Lisa's support throughout my divorce. From day one, she made me feel like a teammate, not just a client. She was transparent, responsive, and always had my back. We were able to settle everything well before the six-month mark, and I never felt alone in the process. I highly recommend her if you want both professionalism and compassion. Thank you, Lisa and Van Voorhis & Sosna team. read more

Van Voorhis & Sosna is a great firm! They take great care of their clients and provide top notch legal advice. Whenever there is a case that our firm is unable to take on, they are one of the first firms we think of because we trust they will work with those clients to achieve their desired outcomes and provide the necessary support as they are going through a very challenging process. read more

I worked with Ariel Sosna on a pre-nuptial agreement. My partner and I were confused at the beginning of the process because we were already registered domestic partners and planning a wedding for the following year. Ariel helped us understand whether to get a pre nup or a post nup. As we went through the prenup process Ariel was generous in teaching us about the process and advocating for what will keep us safe. Ariel also recommended other lawyers, CPAs and estate planners. Ariel really came through for us with generosity, intelligence and professionalism. Ariel also helped us work within our budget. Big thanks all around. read more

I am a colleague of Van Voorhis & Sosna, and I have personally known the three partners and one of their associates for more than a decade. They are intelligent, thoughtful, settlement minded lawyers who calmly handle complex issues and challenging interpersonal dynamics. When a matter requires litigation as some do, this firm is formidable, ready to take on anyone in court with a well-articulated case. I cannot recommend this firm highly enough for divorce, annulment, child custody, or domestic partnership matters. They're also great with premarital, pre-registration, post-marital, post-registration, separation, and cohabitation agreements. read more

Ariel is wonderful to work with! She can help with everything from pre-nup agreements to divorce and adds value along the way. Her calm approach is just what is needed in the family law context. Highly recommend! read more

I initially handled my divorce through another firm that I was put in touch with through my legal insurance. I had a lot of issues with them and suspected that they were unnecessarily drawing out the process. A lawyer friend of mine suggested I switch over to Ariel Sosna. I mostly worked with Margaret Dellegrotti and Karin Buckley, both of whom were extremely professional, efficient and focused. They helped me move through the remainder of the process quickly and as painlessly as possible without wasting more time or money. read more

I have worked with several of the attorneys at Van Voorhis & Sosna in a variety of a capacities over the course of 10+ years. I know them to be professional, efficient, smart, dedicated and reliable. I highly recommend them. read more

Had an exceptionally wonderful experience working with Ariel Sosna for my prenuptial agreement and could not recommend this firm more. We had a tight deadline to meet, and she helped me understand the process so thoroughly and I feel grateful to have her on my legal team. I felt this firm worked so professionally and honestly with me, I am overall impressed and appreciative with their work. read more

I just recently completed a lengthy, protracted divorce that was emotionally draining, financially costly and unnecessarily difficult. During this time Sarah Arnott and Ariel Sosna gave me excellent, practical and pragmatic advice. When I was ready to blow all my savings on fighting an endless battle, effectively burning it all to the ground, they talked me off the fence and consistently helped me see the bigger picture. Beyond all the great advice, they protected me from from stupid games that my wife's attorney would try to play. Lastly, their knowledge of the law, judges, procedures, and courtroom psychology is an immeasurable asset to have on your side. I would never wish for anyone to go through divorce ever, but if you must, you really should have Sarah and Ariel on your side and in your corner. read more

I spent 5 years separated after 10 years of marriage. My ex took over the house in SF for 4 of those years, changed the locks and did not allow me to even live in the unoccupied basement room. He told me that if I tried to take the house away from him and the kids that I would hurt them terribly. He told me not to go 'behind his back' to seek child support and gave me $100 now and then for groceries. Meanwhile I lived in a moldy basement studio and kept up our 50-50 on a salary of $35,000. I was so poor that I ate meat only when the kids were around and lived as frugally as possible. I was not able to afford any enrichments for my kids. I am very educated but had succumbed to deep guilt and paralysis over my divorce. When I finally could not make it anymore emotionally and financially, I borrowed from every person I knew so that I could hire Ariel. It was a process, an education, mostly for me. Ariel set me straight with such frank and clear talk--I realized that I'd been had. I filed for child support immediately. The house, in which was every penny of my life savings, was the big item in the divorce. Ariel made sure that the house went on the market immediately. While we were in court, she observed the judge, my exes lawyer and the court situation very keenly, chuckling at the hidden agendas and maneuvers that I only vaguely was aware of. Though my ex retained a very nasty lawyer who tried to intimidate me and soil my reputation, Ariel sliced through her motivations easily and circumvented her moves. She knew exactly how to time paperwork, when to file motions and was so knowledgeable that she could cite obscure precedent at the trial. I would look over at her when we were in court and realize that she was totally into the process (which was very hard for me to understand...). But that's exactly what you want in a lawyer: someone who completely understands how things work, knows how to play the game--and enjoys it! Ariel is an awesome lawyer and I was very, very lucky to have had her represent me. read more

I highly recommend Van Voorhis & Sosna and have referred friends to Ariel Sosna. She represented me through a lengthy and overly involved divorce. Ariel's expertise and tireless effort produced a fair outcome, which is exactly what I hoped for. Since the judgement, she has also help me to protect that outcome, which is more than I ever expected. I knew from the initial interview that Ariel Sosna was a principled advocate. It was definitely a mutual interview, which earned my confidence in her ability to represent me well. Throughout the matter, I could count on Ariel listening carefully, cutting through the noise, and then presenting me with strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Her expert advice is complete of context and described clearly. Her deep knowledge was evident at every step. On multiple occasions, I saw that she was respected by her peers. Without fail, she was up for every new battle. However, her approach is clearly to avoid unnecessary actions and costs where prudent. I couldn't have asked for a better attorney than Ariel Sosna. In many ways, my case was a success because of her. I wish all attorneys were as qualified, hard working, and principled as her. read more

Ariel Sosna is a rare combination of the sharp legal mind, incredible expertize, and... Honesty and Integrity. During my 2 years long custody battle I'd had 2 extremely experienced lawyers @ $500/hr with all kinds of high reviews and outstanding credentials and both abandoned and even sold me out in certain situations. Ariel Sosna will not sell you out, will not use dirty tricks, and will not get overwhelmed, annoyed, intimidated by the opposing counsel, etc...etc.... She will get you the best you can achieve in your situation. You can't imagine how lucky you are if you get Ariel Sosna on your side! read more

Sarah didn't listen to me when I said my ex would empty the accounts. She told me not to worry, and unfortunately I trusted her. My ex emptied the accounts and fled the country, it took me almost 10 years to collect. The very last thing she said to me was "you got screwed" not exactly what you want to hear from a lawyer that you paid 10's of thousands of dollars to help you. I reccomend talking to another lawyer who will take you seriously and not screw you in the end. read more

Fantastic! These women follow through every step of this awful process, from the intake interview to the final steps of your divorce. Very matter of fact. read more

I have nothing but the best to say about this attorney group - professional and extremely competent!

I'm not at all in agreement with the earlier review. I was extremely lucky to hire Sarah Van Voorhis as my divorce attorney. I was not in a collaborative situation at the outset, so I wanted an attorney with a strong background in litigation and a reputation as a bulldog. Sarah did an amazing job, mostly in talking me through why I DID NOT want to go to court and how I would actually end up ahead avoiding the entire court process. She is a fighter to all who oppose her, but privately, advocates collaboration and mediation. There is no better combination. Systematically, we went through my assets and concerns, and she advised my quickly and efficiently about where I was vulnerable and where I a judge would end up on several complicated issues. We had a very young child (two) and I had been the primary caregiver. I was terrified about losing custody, but guess what? 50%-50% custody is the standard in San Francisco with two competent and eager parents and Sarah never gave me false hopes otherwise. That saved me thousands of dollars right there, avoiding an emotional legal battle that I was never going to win. And my daughter is far better off as a result. On the money side, our assets were fairly complex, involving a law firm partnership, a home purchased pre-marriage with pre-marriage assets of unequal value that had accumulated a great deal of equity both pre-marriage and post-marriage. For those of you who don't know, the rules of dividing assets like this are very complicated. I would have been the loser in a court battle on the house, and the winner on the partnership. Because I learned these rules early from Sarah (again, in as efficient a manner as possible), I had a lot of power in our mediation. I knew where to push and where not to. I ended up with more than I should have had under the law. This is the point of a good lawyer - ADVICE. Even if you are going to mediate, you need to understand where the court battles will end up and what the law entitles you to, so you know when to push and when to shut up and take a good offer when you see it. Rather than run up the bills, Sarah simply advised me honestly then told me I was better off trying to mediate. The beauty of Sarah is that she is extremely fair and honest. She can litigate if she has to, but she knows that the court process usually means all parties lose and have far less to split up than they would have trying to work it out. Then, a few years later, my ex stopped paying child support and alimony. Just stopped. He switched jobs, and I wrote him several letters saying I was willing to adjust everything downward, but we needed to go back to mediation to work out something fair. Radio silence. So I again wrote to Sarah for help. She referred me to Ariel, because she had an overwhelming amount of work at that moment, and this was a no-brainer. My goal was to keep the billing to the bare miminum, so the bills were not so high as to affect my settlement. Ariel did a beautiful job writing a tight motion that cut to the chase. It prompted my ex to actually pay attention to this issue, then Ariel recommended that I take over my own negotiation from there, because there was no risk I was going to lose! I do not think you can get a more honest approach than that. She was interested in solving the problem for me and billing me for what I needed - and nothing more. Because I am a lawyer, she knew I could handle the negotiation with the other side's attorney and once again, I was prepared through their Dissomaster calculations what I could expect a judge to order. We settled quickly, and the legal bills my ex had to pay for lapsing in his payments were a quarter of what they could have been. If you are going through a divorce, you well know that this is nearly the worst experience you will have in your life, other than the death of a child. It is scary and upsetting and a huge black box that seems impossible to navigate. Any lawyer is going to be more expensive than you can imagine, but that's just the reality of getting divorced. Save yourself a lot of money and hassle, and hire a lawyer like Sarah or Ariel to clearly advise you about the law, your chances, and likely outcomes from a judge. Then, go mediate and try to work it out short of court. If you make your list of questions, come prepared and organized for attorney meetings with a clean list of assets, statements, and a clear objective of what you want, you will do yourself a service no matter which lawyer you hire. But if you do so with Sarah and Ariel, I have no doubt you will receive the best value for every penny you put into it. I highly recommend these ladies to handle complex divorces in the most efficient manner possible. read more

I was referred to Sarah Van Voorhis by an attorney friend of another attorney friend. She was kind and incredibly generous with her time, being straight with me about the reality of my situation. She shared her professional opinion about what actions I should take and gave me ammunition to use in my negotiations. I am grateful for her insight, guidance, and wisdom read more